Thursday, August 14, 2014

Book Review: Tempted by a Rogue Prince (Eternal Mates #3) by Felicity Heaton

Tempted by a Rogue Prince (Eternal Mates #3)by Felicity HeatonAn elf prince on the verge of losing himself to the darkness, Vail is maddened by the forty-two centuries he was under the control of a witch and forced to war with his brother. Now, he roams Hell seeking an escape from his terrible past and the heads of all who bear magic. When demons of the Fifth Realm capture him, he sees a chance to end his existence, but when he wakes in a cell to a beautiful female, he finds not death but his only shot at salvation—his true fated mate.

Captured by the enemy of the Third Realm when the war ended, Rosalind has spent months in the cells of the Fifth Realm with her magic bound, forced to heal the new king’s demon warriors, and haunted by the lives she has taken. When she’s brought to heal an unconscious man, she discovers her only hope of escape has come in the form of her worst nightmare and the first part of a prediction that might spell her doom—a devastatingly handsome and dangerous dark elf prince.

Unwilling to fall under the control of anyone ever again, Vail must escape before the Fifth King can use him as a pawn in a deadly game of revenge, but he cannot leave without Rosalind, the woman who looks at him with dark desire in her stunning eyes and awakens a fierce hunger in his heart. A witch who drives him mad with need even as the darkness within whispers she will enslave him too.

Can Rosalind escape her fate as they embark on a journey fraught with danger and resist the temptation of her rogue elf prince? And can Vail overcome the memories that madden him in order to seize his chance for salvation and the heart of his fated female forever?

On the verge of losing his mind completely, Vail has spent the better part of 4,200 years as a puppet for the witch Kordula. Now he’s free and unsure of what to do with himself. Tormented by the things he was forced to do and the things he does when he has rage filled blackouts, he drifts closer and closer to death each day until he is captured by his enemies and forced into proximity with a member of the race he has sworn to destroy: A witch.

Rosalind is haunted by a prophecy that says an elf will bring about her death. Having avoided elves for many years, she’s justifiably dismayed to find herself having to heal one. If that isn’t bad enough, the elf she is being ordered to heal happens to be a prince who spent centuries under the control of a dark witch and who now despises any and all witches. Despite their initial misgivings, Vail and Rosalind find themselves attracted to one another. After escaping their enemies, the two of them face a long, difficult journey back to the world they once knew. Vail is damaged but something in him calls to Rosalind and she slowly begins to heal his fractured mind even as they face dangerous creatures that will stop at nothing to enslave Vail once more.

Tempted by a Rogue Prince is going to be a hard book to beat! I loved this story from beginning to end!

Vail has been one of my favorites since he first appeared as the villain in book one. There was something that drew me to him. Maybe because I like tortured characters and villains that become heroes and Vail is certainly those things. He has darkness in him that marks him as a dangerous creature, yet he is hauntingly lonely. He’s an intense creature but I love how that’s balanced out with an almost childlike vulnerability. He can kill without a thought yet he suffers from low self esteem and self loathing. He thinks he isn’t good enough to be around any one and deserves to die. Even though he was forced to commit atrocities, he blames himself as if he willingly made those choices.

Rosalind, another character from a previous book, is a smart and savvy witch, the total opposite of the one Vail knew. Despite being locked in a prison forced to heal whoever is brought to her, she does not like to take lives. She suffers from extreme guilt whenever she is forced to defend herself and take a life. It lands her in quite the dilemma when she and Vail have to run for their lives.

Author Felicity Heaton truly has a gift for creating a multidimensional world with characters that not only attract readers but engage them from start to finish. I was truly invested in Vail’s story. I really wanted him to not only overcome the effects of being a witch’s slave but find love with Rosalind and also reconnect and reconcile with his brother.

I have to say that I’m glad that Felicity Heaton has expanded my love of paranormal romance to include elves and witches instead of just vampires and werewolves. Who knew that elves could be so sexy? Now that Vail has had his story told, I can’t wait to see who is next in the series.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.

In 2011, five of her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from numerous websites. In 2012, she received the GraveTells Author of the Year Award and her vampire romance novel, Heart of Darkness, was selected as a 2013 Epic Ebook Awards finalist in the paranormal romance category.